Does Maggie Barnhart have more hours in her day than the rest of us?
It’s a reasonable thing to wonder when you hear everything she does. The biochemistry and Spanish major volunteers with K-State’s food pantry, works as a nursing assistant at a Kansas City assisted-living facility and serves as an ambassador for prospective students.
She’s also trying to cure cancer. Her research? Isolating proteins in cancer cells.
“There is a certain protein that inhibits some cancer cells,” she said. “But in colon cancer, it makes them oncogenes, which causes them to regenerate super-fast. We’re trying to figure out how to disable oncogenes in certain types of cancers.”
Because Banhart wanted to improve her Spanish, she found a healthcare-focused learning experience in Argentina. For five weeks, she shadowed physicians in the morning and took Spanish and healthcare classes in the afternoon.
“We would follow the doctors around and listen to patients’ hearts, take blood pressure, and see x-rays and CT scans. It was a great learning experience,” she said. “My favorite part was getting to speak Spanish every day. The aspect I was dreading initially improved my confidence.”
When not in the hospital or classroom, she was experiencing Argentina.
“I liked getting to live in their culture. It was faster paced than I’m used to,” she said. “But everyone is also on their own time. They have coffee at 4 p.m. and dinner at 9 p.m. After work, everyone goes to the coffee shop to relax and hang out with friends.”
She loved the empanadas and went to a restaurant to learn how to make them but wasn’t a fan of their tea. “There was a unique hot tea drink called Maté,” she said. “They would carry the herbs in a thermos and add hot water throughout the day. I didn’t like it.”
Schedule-packing Banhart likes to always be learning.
“If I hadn’t taken advantage of all these unique opportunities, I would have been bored,” she said. “And spent too much time on TikTok!”
What I’ve learned
Price for education abroad: She won a $5oo scholarship, but the rest was out of pocket. “My mom paid for the flight. In the weeks leading up to it, I worked overnights and double shifts to save as much money as possible.
Argentina vs. USA: The healthcare system. “Their mortality rate is a lot lower for pregnant women and new mothers. Their preventive care outlook helps with that.
